Un-painted K&C miniatures (2 Viewers)

[theBaron]

Hi Guys,

Re the request for the above. It’s true that a while back we did consider releasing unpainted castings of the FoB series. Following discussions with dealers and collectors worldwide we came to the following conclusions:

1. The market for ‘paint-your-own’ figures is in decline… both in Europe and the States.
2. Anyone can ‘pirate’ a casting with great ease.
3. The confusion among collectors on the secondary/ebay markets with what is and is not a genuine K&C production would be problematic.
4. Our research indicates the vast majority of K&C collectors want K&C finished, painted products.
5. The profit level for K&C would be much reduced and therefore not worth the effort.
6. All of our efforts should and would be better focused on developing more and better core K&C painted products. Anything else is a distraction.

And that, my friends, is that.

Happy Collecting!

You speak the truth, my faithful Indian companion!




(C'mon, no fans of "Radio Days" out there?)

Prost!
Brad

 

[Currahee Chris]

I think unpainted casualty figures could be a hit. I passed on the previous KC casualty sets a few years back just because I couldn't justify spending that kind of money on, and I know this sounds terrible, what amound to "Scenic pieces"- grisly, but essentially what they are.

I still cannot see myself ever buying painted, metal casualty sets but unpainted figures, plastic or perhaps some other type of low cost material could work. To me, casualty figures just don't need to be the same quality as the guys still in action.

 

[theBaron]

Seriously, Andy makes a good point here with Nr. 3:

...
3. The confusion among collectors on the secondary/ebay markets with what is and is not a genuine K&C production would be problematic.
...

That goes not just for K&C, but for other makers, and from various time periods in toy soldier history.

Many sellers on eBay are junk or antique dealers. I use the terms neutrally, no judgment is intended. But I mean that they are people who go to auctions, or yard sales, or flea markets, and they buy lots, then they turn around and sell them again. Before the rise of eBay and other online venues, I saw them at flea markets, farmer's markets, or some guys maintained a shop somewhere. And most such sellers really don't learn too much about a given item and its subject, they just sell them. And so, I would see things like "old", or items misidentified, and the seller had a relatively high price, higher than I knew to be reasonable or realistic, based on my own knowledge of a given subject.

I see this today on eBay. Some dealers put up some figures and have no idea what they have, so they're mislabeled, and priced unrealistically. Just yesterday, I saw an auction for 4 US Marines by Comet. The seller labelled them as Britains. Now, if you've ever seen a Comet figure, you might say that the bore a slight resemblance to Britains, as did many figures produced at the same time, though their heads tended to be a little small in proportion. But their bases are distinctive in shape, and it's hard to misidentify them.

I guess it's good to remember that we as collectors, whether we only buy figures, or also sell them, need to know our stuff before we plunge into the market.

Prost, beianand!
Brad

 

[kilted vampire]

Hi Guys,

Re the request for the above. It’s true that a while back we did consider releasing unpainted castings of the FoB series. Following discussions with dealers and collectors worldwide we came to the following conclusions:

1. The market for ‘paint-your-own’ figures is in decline… both in Europe and the States.
2. Anyone can ‘pirate’ a casting with great ease.
3. The confusion among collectors on the secondary/ebay markets with what is and is not a genuine K&C production would be problematic.
4. Our research indicates the vast majority of K&C collectors want K&C finished, painted products.
5. The profit level for K&C would be much reduced and therefore not worth the effort.
6. All of our efforts should and would be better focused on developing more and better core K&C painted products. Anything else is a distraction.

And that, my friends, is that.

Happy Collecting!

All other arguments aside I find #3 laughable. First of all the level of painting that is displayed by the workers of The factory would be anyone's first clue. Simply put the painting is a hard thing to match for most people. Secondly, it would be quite easy to stamp the bases or cast in an identifying mark stating it is a casting. So find another argument but not that one.

Really, It is all right to just say we are not going to do it. What, people are going to stop buying K&C just because you want do something? I doubt it.

 

[theBaron]

All other arguments aside I find #3 laughable. First of all the level of painting that is displayed by the workers of The factory would be anyone's first clue. Simply put the painting is a hard thing to match for most people. Secondly, it would be quite easy to stamp the bases or cast in an identifying mark stating it is a casting. So find another argument but not that one.

Really, It is all right to just say we are not going to do it. What, people are going to stop buying K&C just because you want do something? I doubt it.

Respectfully disagree, McDracula. It is easy enough to duplicate the Chinese style, as it as come to be known. For an example of an individual who has achieved this style, please go to http://members.iinet.net.au/~obees@upnaway.com/www/soldiers/

Mr. O'Brien's latest work is very reminiscent of the classic "Chinese style" of painting.

And it would be easy enough to buy the castings and paint them to similar style, and claim them to be original K&C.

I direct Herrn General to my previous post on this thread. Unless you're a collector, it's very easy to misidentify a piece, from sheer ignorance of the topic. Even if you're a collector, it's still possible, and even perhaps easy, to misidentify a piece. I direct Herrn General to another thread on this site, my thread asking to identify some samurai figures. No one yet who has posted a response knows definitively who made the figures. Must respectfully submit that an unscrupulous person could buy unpainted K&C castings, or castings of any other manufacturer, for that matter, and paint them relatively closely to the manufacturer's standard, and sell them as originals. If I understand Andy correctly, that is his concern.

Also (which is to say, auf deutsch, therefore), I would not be able to say that Andy's point Nr. 3 is laughable, but rather, with all respect, it is valid, sir.

You, sir, may be able to tell the difference between a real K&C piece and a "fake" (for want of a better term), but I wager that there is a large number of people out there, potential buyers, who are not able to tell the difference.

Prost!
Brad

 

[4th dragoon]

Perhaps if unpainted figures came with or without a distinguishing mark on the bottom it might work. Has anyone found a paint yourself line that blends well with K&C ? Rob

 

[Wraith]

Perhaps if unpainted figures came with or without a distinguishing mark on the bottom it might work. Has anyone found a paint yourself line that blends well with K&C ? Rob

Not yet, unfortunately. The Del Prado figures work well with earlier K&C releases (some having being cast by K&C). Luckily the Del Prado figures are widely available in the UK, for just a few quid, so can be painted up to work alongside K&C figures.

Simon